Diet & Supplementation

In a world where foods are less nutrient-rich and environmental toxins are pervasive, we are often deficient in key vitamins, minerals, nutrients or chemicals that make our minds and bodies work efficiently. Supplementing your diet with high quality, naturally derived nutrients can powerfully promote healing, support bodily functions and boost brain health. In certain circumstances pharmaceutical medication can make positive chemical changes in your body and brain. Gabbert Chiropractic Center’s pragmatic, informed and careful approach to both nutritional supplementation and prescription medication provides our patients the best of both worlds. Combining a nutritional diet with proper supplementation are the key building blocks to a vibrant and healthy lifestyle.

Why proper diet & nutrition are important?

Eating a balanced diet is vital for good health and wellbeing. Food provides our bodies with the energy, protein, essential fats, vitamins and minerals to live, grow and function properly. We need a wide variety of different foods to provide the right amounts of nutrients for good health. More commonly today than ever, we are seeing a food industry which incorporates additives such as hormones, antibiotics and GMO’s into their production process which ultimately decreases nutritional properties while increasing harmful risk factors and diseases. Unhealthy diet contributes to approximately 678,000 deaths each year in the U.S., due to nutrition- and obesity-related diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. Part of our mission here at Gabbert Chiropractic Center is to re-educate the patient on what foods to feed the body and what foods we should stay away from. Incorporating the correct supplements (Nutraceuticals) that your body needs combined with proper diet and nutrition in itself can eliminate or reduce disease causing ailments.

Benefits of Choosing Nutraceuticals Vs Over-the-Counter Supplements

For many people who aren’t already well-versed in the world of nutrition, the difference between nutraceuticals and supplements can be confusing. Unfortunately, this is not helped by the fact that the two terms are often used interchangeably. Here is a breakdown of the differences, and what benefits there are to choosing nutraceuticals instead of over-the-counter supplements.

Supplements

The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, enacted by Congress in 1994, defines a supplement as a substance meant to fortify the diet and contains a herb, amino acid, vitamin or mineral, or a combination, or a concentration of ingredients. Supplements are intended to be ingested in the form of a tablet, liquid, pill, powder or capsule, are not considered food and are labeled as dietary supplements.

Furthermore, the ingredients used in supplements are typically only food-grade. They are usually sourced from a third party, and they normally receive little or no testing to ensure safety, quality, potency or purity. With many supplements, particularly vitamins and minerals, inferior forms of the substances are used, resulting in poor bioavailability (the ability to be absorbed).

Nutraceuticals

Nutraceuticals are defined as a kind of supplement that provides a concentrated source of biologically active ingredients from foods that are supplied in a non-food form. These products are intended to improve overall health and are formulated in dosages much higher than those found naturally in the diet.

Some nutraceuticals are intended to treat or prevent a variety of health problems and chronic diseases or to increase physical performance. They use pharmaceutical grade (USP) ingredients and undergo rigorous testing for safety, purity, potency and quality, and the ingredients may be produced on-site by the same company or sourced from elsewhere with great care. Because of their superior potency and high dosages, they are typically only provided by licensed physicians.

The Benefits of Nutraceuticals

Although over-the-counter dietary supplements may be acceptable in some cases, nutraceuticals offer a more comprehensive and effective approach to safeguarding and maintaining your overall health and well-being. Here are some of the main benefits you can expect:

Despite their higher price, nutraceuticals are typically more cost-effective than supplements due to the superior bioavailability of their ingredients.

The high doses of nutrients often found in nutraceuticals are helpful for reversing and preventing deficiencies. This is important since the modern diet usually fails to provide sufficient quantities of many essential vitamins and minerals.

Pharmaceutical grade ingredients and rigorous testing ensure that you’re getting only the safest and highest quality products. Supplements are not required to adhere to these standards, and there have been many reports of serious illnesses and side effects caused by tainted and unreported ingredients, as well as undeclared food allergens.

The fact that nutraceuticals are usually only available from a doctor means that you’re more likely to end up with the products that best suit your particular nutritional needs.